Resting Heart Rate May Predict Renal Outcomes in High-Risk Patients

(HealthDay News) — For patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease, resting heart rate (RHR) can predict renal outcomes, according to research published online November 27 in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Michael Böhm, MD, from the Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes in Homburg, Germany, and colleagues examined whether RHR could predict renal end points in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Data were analyzed for 28,757 patients in the ONTARGET and TRANSCEND trials. The effects of RHR were assessed at different levels of systolic blood pressure.

The researchers found that the mean RHR was predictive of incident microalbuminuria (hazard ratio [HR] for RHR ≥80 vs. <60 beats per minute, 1.49; P<0.0001), incident macroalbuminuria (HR, 1.84; P<0.0001), doubling of creatinine (HR, 1.47; P=0.050), and end-stage renal disease (HR, 1.78; P=0.050), and for the combined renal end points (HR, 1.51; P<0.0001). At systolic blood pressures from <120 to ≥150mmHg, the correlations were robust, with the lowest risk seen at systolic blood pressure of 130–140mmHg.

"RHR is a potent predictor of these renal outcomes, as well as their combination, in patients with cardiovascular disease," the authors write.

ONTARGET and TRANSCEND were funded by Boehringer Ingelheim. All authors received scientific support from Boehringer Ingelheim; one author was employed by Boehringer Ingelheim.